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News @ Jains - NABARDs Initiative in Public Private Partnership for Integrated Rural Development

NABARD’s Initiative in Public Private Partnership for Integrated Rural Development

- Signs MoU with Jain Irrigation
- Joint implementation of Public Private Partnership (PPP) towards Village Development in Maharashtra

Mumbai, 14 February, 2009 - Highlights:

• This is for NABARD’s ‘Village Development Plan’ (VDP) .

• Will ensure availability of water not only for agriculture but also for drinking water supply to villages.
• Initially the project will be implemented in 75 villages spread over all the districts of Maharashtra with active participation of NGOs.
• Apart from farm activities, the Jain Irrigation will also help in non farming developments like rural housing, solar street lights, women empowerment, rural skills upgradation, entrepreneurship development, etc .

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has entered into a MoU with Jalgoan, Maharashtra based agro – irrigation major Jain irrigation Systems Ltd. (JISL). This is for NABARD’s ‘Village Development Plan’ (VDP) and implementation of Natural Resource Management and Dry Land Agriculture. This will ensure availability of water not only for agriculture but also for drinking water supply to villages. Initially the project will be implemented in 75 villages spread over all the districts of Maharashtra with active participation of NGOs.

The project involves development of rain water harvesting and water storage structures, efficient water distribution and utilization systems using solar pumps, development cropping plan and contract farming with value addition. Apart from farm activities, the Jain Irrigation will also help in non farming developments like rural housing, solar street lights, women empowerment, rural skills upgradation, entrepreneurship development, etc.

The project will be implemented in 3 years and based on the experiences gained it will be extended to other parts of the country. Dr. Dilip Narayan Kulkarni, Sr. VP of Jain Irrigation on signing this MoU and its significance said. "Jain irrigation has developed the technology for creation of water resources, efficient water utilization and use of solar energy along with modern agricultural practices. This partnership which will help revolutionize the dryland agriculture in the country and NABARD through it's Village Development Plan has come forward by creating linkage with Jain irrigation to implement it jointly. This is a unique model of Public Private Participation in Agriculture and Rural development".

According to Spokesperson at NABARD "In order to develop a replicable model for integrated village development and its multiplication, we are striving to create suitable linkages under Public Private Partnership. The various areas in which we are trying to forge such relations involve dry land farming, natural resource management, micro-irrigation, livelihood generation, solar energy, rural habitat, agro-tourism etc. Dry land rain-fed farming being the mainstay of Indian agriculture, the improvement in agricultural production and income from these areas is a major concern. A number of Villages under VDP fall in such areas in the state. We are happy to say that M/s. Jain Irrigation has expressed their keen interest in supporting the programme, which would generate the required synergy to propel the growth of holistic development under VDP".

About NABARD’s Village Development Programme -
(NABARD) launched a new programme during 2007-08, viz. ‘Village Development Plan’ (VDP) to create replicable models of integrated rural development in villages all over the country, with emphasis on natural resource management, socio-economic, rural infrastructure, human aspects of development, and a focus on financial services as also convergence of all government sponsored and NABARD supported schemes.

The VDP is being implemented in 72 villages in Maharashtra, through District Development Managers by engaging nodal agencies identified for the purpose. The programme is under various stages of implementation in these villages spread over 30 districts in Maharashtra.. We have so far sanctioned grant assistance of Rs. 105 lakhs to 31 Nodal agencies under the programme for three years. The interventions emanating from the VDPs can be broadly classified into following categories.

• Credit related interventions linking livelihood activities, which are being taken up with financing banks at the village level.
• Human resource development in the farm sector and non-farm sector through various promotional interventions of NABARD
• Natural resource management (Watershed programme, water harvesting, use of renewable energy etc.) by various stakeholders viz. GoM, NABARD and villagers.
• Social sector interventions such as rural housing, sanitation, safe drinking water, maintenance of community assets, primary health, primary education etc. by involving Panchayat Raj Institutions, Banks and NABARD.
• Rural infrastructure such as, village roads, rural markets, irrigation facilities, power supply, primary education, primary health facilities etc.

About Jain Irrigation –
Jain Irrigation is a diversified Company with more than 5,000 employees and a product portfolio encompassing Irrigation Products, Piping Products, Plastic Sheets, Dehydrated Foods, Fruit Puree and Juice concentrates. Jain Irrigation has pioneered drip irrigation for small farmers in India and has a major market share in one of the fastest growing irrigation markets in the world and is also the second largest drip irrigation Company in the world.

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